Mercy “is God’s final choice in favor of every human being for our eternal salvation” and can “freely reach every person who asks for it”. Pope Francis said this today, addressing the participants in the course organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary in Rome aimed at helping new priests to adequately administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “The opportunity for forgiveness is open to everyone, it is wide open, as the greatest of the ‘holy doors’, since it coincides with the very heart of the Father, who loves all of His children and waits for them, especially those who made more mistakes and are far away from Him”, the Pope added. The mercy of the Father can “reach every person in many ways: through the openness of a sincere conscience; by reading the Word of God which converts hearts; through an encounter with a merciful brother or sister; in the experiences of a life lived with wounds, sins, forgiveness, and mercy”. However, the “safe path” of mercy, “that we can walk to move from the possible to reality, from hope to certainty”, is Jesus. He has the “power to forgive sins on earth”, and He has passed on this mission to the Church”. Hence, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is “the privileged place to experience God’s mercy and celebrate our encounter with the Father”. “But let us not easily lose sight of the latter: I go there, I ask for forgiveness, I feel the embrace of forgiveness, and I forget to celebrate it. This is not a theological doctrine – it has nothing to do with it -, but I would say that celebration is an essential part of the Sacrament: it is as if penance and celebration were inseparable, I have to celebrate with the Father the fact that He has forgiven me”.